THE agony continued for John Mitchell last night as the New Zealand Rugby Union decided that he would be replaced as All Blacks coach by Graham Henry.

THE agony continued for John Mitchell last night as the New Zealand Rugby Union decided that he would be replaced as All Blacks coach by Graham Henry.

Mitchell was the man in possession of the job, but had to reapply for his post following the World Cup semi-final exit against Australia.

Former Wales coach Graham Henry was the only other candidate.

Mitchell and Henry had detailed final interviews, with the NZRU going Henry's way.

There can be no disputing Mitchell wanted the job although many would have turned their backs after being told to reapply.

But he faced a difficult task after his so-called autocratic style of management distanced him from members of the governing body, sponsors, the media and the public.

Not only that, Mitchell had the difficulty of dealing with the substantial challenge of Henry.

If it was another figure up against him, he might have started as favourite, especially with a formidable 82 per cent win record as New Zealand coach.

But Henry is a real heavyweight opponent with a record to match.

Mitchell was fighting on two fronts. Firstly against Henry, secondly in convincing the NZRU board he was a new man and that the problems with sponsors, the media and union staff were in the past.

Those problems blackened his record of consecutive Tri-Nations successes and the return of the Bledisloe Cup.

Mitchell had to try to convince the board he was a better coach and selector than Henry, not an easy task for anyone involved in the game.

But he had several problems. His tenure as coach was fresh in the memory - a burden Henry did not have to carry - and there were astute rugby people on the judgment panel in former captains Graham Mourie, Jock Hobbs, Tane Norton and John Graham.

Mitchell would have had to give genuine answers to them, not trot out the often confusing and nonsensical cliches.

The panel would have looked past the basic statistics of his wins and losses and demanded straight answers to simple rugby questions.

Like why he stopped his team rucking, why the line-out and scrum were so inconsistent and why there apparently wasn't a Plan B in the semi-final loss to Australia.

And they will have wanted to know how New Zealand would be able to beat world champions England in two Tests next year, and the Lions in three Tests the following year.

Mitchell's selections would also have been scrutinised. Why was New Zealand's best goal-kicker, Andrew Mehrtens, not taken to the World Cup? Nor Christian Cullen, Anton Oliver, Taine Randell and others.

But the over-riding question was Mitchell's ability as a coach. At the end of the day it is his coaching, and not his ability to deal with the media and sponsors, that would have been the deciding factor.